BLT wedge salad with chipotle blue cheese dressing

This time of year, when most days it’s too darn hot to stand in front of the stove, let alone turn on the oven, I start eating a lot of salads. Namely one salad—my BLT salad with chipotle blue cheese dressing.

Blue cheese dressing was something I avoided for most of my life, probably because I was only exposed to inferior bottled versions, which can often be too sweet or have a rubbery texture. A few years ago, however, I was at a dinner party and my friend had made a batch of blue cheese dressing.

His intent was for us to use it as a dipping sauce. It was certainly thick enough for the job, and yet it was also light enough that it could glide onto salad leaves without weighing them down. As for the flavor and texture, the balance between the pungent, salty blue cheese and creamy, tangy dressing was perfect. I had no idea blue cheese dressing could be so good, and I’ve been a convert ever since.

When he shared with me his recipe, I tinkered with it just a bit. I love how smoky flavors complement blue cheese’s salty bite, so I stirred in some chipotle powder for both its smoke and its heat. To cut through the dressing’s richness, I added splash of white wine vinegar, though I reckon red wine vinegar or lime juice could work just as well. As for my BLT salad, some may know it as an iceberg wedge. This classic dish, comprised of blue cheese dressing and a thick slice from a head of iceberg lettuce, has been around since at least the late 1800s. It’s long been a staple at both steakhouses and diners, and is one of my dad’s favorite things to pair with chicken-fried steak.

Sure, some may find iceberg lettuce reminiscent of a time when people sacrificed flavor for convenience, but in the summer it’s one of my favorite things to eat. While the thick, crisp leaves may lack a strong flavor, it’s this quality that makes it a terrific vehicle for a robust, heavier topping. Throw in some crumbled bacon and a ripe, juicy tomato, and you have a refreshing, filling dish.

I’ve convinced myself that eating this salad is a spot healthier than eating a BLT sandwich, since you don’t have the calories and carbohydrates from the bread. But I don’t enjoy it for health reasons; I love it because it’s quick and cool. And if you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen, this salad will definitely satisfy.

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BLT wedge salad with chipotle blue cheese dressing

Servings4

AuthorLisa Fain

Ingredients

Ingredients for the dressing:

4ouncesblue cheese, crumbled and divided

1/2cupmayonnaise

2tablespoonsbuttermilk, plus more if needed

1clovegarlic, chopped

1/4teaspoonpaprika

1/2teaspoonchipotle chile powder or 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo

2teaspoonswhite wine vinegar

1/2cupsour cream or thick Greek-style yogurt

Salt and black pepper to taste

Ingredients for the salad:

1head of iceberg lettuce

8piecescooked bacon, crumbled

1cupdiced red ripe tomato

Instructions

To make the dressing, place the half the blue cheese crumbles, mayonnaise, buttermilk, garlic, paprika, chipotle chile powder (or canned chipotle chile), and vinegar in a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the sour cream and remaining blue cheese crumbles. Taste and add salt and black pepper to taste.

If you want a thinner dressing, stir in more buttermilk until it’s the desired thickness.

To make the salad, cut the iceberg lettuce into four wedges, lengthwise. Place each wedge on a plate, and top with crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes and chipotle blue cheese dressing.

Awww, this reminds me of my father in law who used to make us each a jar of homemade salad dressing to take home at Christmas time. I need to make us some and this is a great idea for how to use it in steamy weather.

I shouldn't have read this at almost midnight, when I can't run to the store and get beefsteak tomatoes and the ingredients for this dressing. Now all night I will DREAM about this salad. Seriously. I will.

I love bleu cheese. It's been a life long love affair. One my husband neither understands nor shares. But at least he doesn't get in the way of my relationship with it. Lucky for him.

This is one of the few places where you can actually get away with reduced calorie mayo–I also reduce both the mayo and sour cream very slightly and add more buttermilk to my bleu cheese dressing–been making it with this half mayo and half sour cream recipe for decades. I haven't tried the chipotle before, but since I always put the leftovers from a can into the freezer, I've an unlimited supply and can shave off a tsp or so–can't tell you how much I love a bit of chipotle added to so many recipes.

I am now in England and wanting to set up my own house here with familiar things. Can you tell me what your cutlery is? is there a particular name or brand I need to search for? Thank you from a Central Texas gal!!

I was first introduced to the iceberg wedge at Luby's cafeteria. My dad would eat it with the grotesque French dressing. The wedge has gone in and out of fashion over the years, but there is still nothing like a very fresh iceberg slice with a really good dressing. Blue cheese is one of my favorites so I am looking forward to trying your chipotle version.

I love blue cheese and can hardly wait for Saturday when we'll be having it for dinner. We're taking a roadtrip in the RV, and this looked so easy to put together with the grilled steak. I bought roquefort and Danish blue for some more complexity in the flavors.

I've made chipotle cole slaw and chipotle Caesar salad before – and there is no salad that can't be improved with chipotle croutons. I'm betting this salad will be a big hit.

We made this with the restrictions of a supermarket in Whitby, North Yorkshire, UK.And loved it! We had to remove the garlic, being a bit Gothic up here!-(Check it out)!We had to use bottled green Jalapenos & a touch of Cayenne pepper, swopped Iceberg for baby cos lettuces (lots of heart). Thank you, we loved it! Melanie & Tricia.

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